Hi Siobhan, Yeah, I'm not sure why the pull-up is so important to me, I suppose that it is proof that I am both strong enough and light enough to do them. The band things are great, but pricey (like every fricken thing). My trainer has some other gizmo that has a plastic stirrup for your foot and a number of elastic tubes that can be added or taken away as you progress. I considered getting one of these, but the band things seemed more versatile.

You did way better at your picnic than I did, eating-wise. The only reason that I did alright was it was just too hot to eat much. I brought a huge fruit tray and that was very popular. I ate some, but have been trying to keep my fruit consumption to a single serving a day.

Well I'm back at work. Everybody sort of has that food-headed fogginess (but me!). It was a really nice holiday overall. Now that I am lighter and in better shape, I am more tolerant of the heat overall. One big difference is that I'm not ashamed to go out in public wearing shorts. It seems silly, but that was a real problem for me. Being big and fat I was embarrassed, so I didn't wear shorts and just suffered over the summer.

Of course I wouldn't go to the beach for the same reason and now I will. Though I have a long way to go before I feel like I look good, at least I don't feel like I look bad. So being comfortable being partially dressed has increased my ability to enjoy the hot weather. It is a bonus that I wasn't expecting. :-)

Last year, after the Fourth of July weekend I sort of lost my impetus to keep losing weight and started a long, slow slide into bad eating that reach a peak (along with my weight) the following (last) winter. This year I am doing the physical training and as I hoped, that direct accountability is helping me keep on track.

I think I will keep at the training until I reach my goal weight (whatever that might be). I had hoped it would only be 3 months, but I suspect it will be at least 6 months.

I'm impatient to be at my goal weight, but I'm enjoying being thinner than I was and can only imagine how I will feel when I am smaller and stronger!

So I missed my 1-year Primal-versary. It was Saturday, July 6th. Been a year!

I've been reading through posts and journals and I'm struck by the number of people who really struggle with gluten sensitivity, Celiac disease and IBS.

I guess I am pretty lucky in that I don't have any known sensitivities to any food. I must admit, that I used to suffer from stomach upset and I don't any more. Now that I come to think of it, I was aware that if I ate a lot of whole wheat bread on an empty stomach I got heartburn. So maybe I did have a sensitivity and just never acknowledged it, or recognized it.

But since going strictly Primal I have noticed that I never get heartburn anymore. I feel bad for people who really suffer though. It's amazing how many of them still struggle to avoid the foods they know will make them sick. My Brother in Law is gluten intolerant and really struggles with it. He knows how much bread he can ingest before the pain is bad enough that it isn't worth it. I asked him, why don't you just give it up entirely? He looked at me as if I had asked him to stop breathing.

It's amazing how addictive, or ingrained (NPI) or just habitual the consumption of cereal grain products are.

I don't really miss them all that much. I did cook a sweet potato (steamed, cut into slices and sautéed in coconut oil) because SWMBO wanted it and I ate three of the slices. I did enjoy that quite a bit. I think that once I am done dieting I will add in carbs in that form before I go to bread. I do miss rice, particularly with Indian and other Asian foods.

I was raised with the idea that the starch was the main part of the meal, cheap, and filling. The meat and vegetables were almost the condiments. I guess that thinking is entirely backwards.

Last night I made chicken tikka masala, served over cauliflower. I tend to make that weekly. The masala sauce is from a jar and likely not real Primal, but I haven't gotten off my duff to figure out how to make it from scratch. I looked up a number of recipes and many were hopelessly complicated (likely very traditional) some were simple enough, but all varied markedly in ingredients. I suppose I need to experiment some. Or ask my Indian friends for recipes.

SWMBO and I finally broke down and put all the air conditioners in (window units) so I have been sleeping better.

Today is my first training in nearly a week. I'm looking forward to it but haven't done much on my own this week, so I'm sure it's gonna bust my ass... Well, that is, after all, what I am paying him for.

I've stuck with the jarred sauces even though they have some objectionable ingredients because they have very little of them, and the cost and convenience outweigh the bad. Although they often have sugar, it is an extremely small amount, <1g per serving. The oil is more problematic, often canola, but again the amount is very small. It's not like I'm cooking in it three times a day, or pouring it all over a salad. If I made the sauce from scratch I would spend a great deal on ingredients and take quite a bit of time. I did that once and I don't fancy a repetition. Just not worth it for me. If I was cooking for a family and could freeze it or use it up quickly, maybe I would. But that's me.

I hope your heat has broken in CT, it is much better up here. I think there is generally a ten degree temp difference, possibly more. Hard to believe!

No there is no end in sight for the heat. I am fortunate in that I both live and work near the coast where it is in the mid-80s instead of the 90s that the interior parts of the state are suffering through. I looked at the 10-day forecast and there wasn't much change. Sigh.

Thanks Pedidoc! I will definitely try that recipe. I need to get a nice spice grinder as I bought both coriander seeds and cardamom seeds. I thought I owned a mortar and pestle but can't find them. :-(

Siobhan, I was hoping I could find a recipe and then make a huge batch and either can or freeze it in portions enough for a pound of chicken. But it seems that it is traditionally made with marinated chicken over a grill then cut up and served in masala sauce.

I agree with you entirely about the amounts of sugar and bad oils. I generally do not worry about such small amounts either as I don't seem to have sensitivities to these foods.

What drives my enthusiasm is this one Indian restaurant in Middletown makes it the best, and I am trying to approximate their flavor. I suppose I might just ask, but it's more fun experimenting!

So last nights workout was really tough. I think it is because it has been so long since my last one. Here's what we did:

Warm-up:

Walking Lunges Uphill. 4 sets 25 yards each set.

3-set circuit of the following: (reps in parentheses)

Deadlift going into a shoulder-clean with a 65lb barbell (10)
Squat going into a one-armed kettle-ball press (10)
Elbow Plank (one minute)
Rope work (big, long heavy rope, looped around a hook each hand holding one end. The exercises are: alternating arms lifting/lowering, arms lifting and lowering in unison and moving in and out (working the chest and back) 30 seconds each.

3-set circuit of the following: (reps in parentheses)

Farmers Carry with a sandbag in each hand, 50 yards, (approx. 50 lbs. total)
Inverted rows using bodyweight.
Kettle-ball swings (20 reps)
Step-ups with 15lb dumbbells in each hand (10 each leg)
Suspended Knee lifts, in a hand plank position with feet hooked into the loops of a TRX trainer. (10)

Stretching then finished!

I was shaky and tired when I was done. I slept hard and this AM just have a bit of general muscle soreness, not bad at all.